Archive for March, 2008
I would write more about this, but the sleepy feeling i tend to get after a late night jaunt is pulling me into another land. Overall, there was rain and cold and record stores and taxis and waiting for taxis and trying to flag taxis and walking and the Japanese version of American food that was really weird with “Power Rice Meals” and sweet burgers. Fun was had by all, or both, and canned hot cocoas from vending machines on a cold rainy evening is something i’m really going to miss when i’m back stateside.
It seems that Japanese hiking trails tend to go directly up mountains instead of weaving up them with switchbacks, so, when hiking up the mountains to the east of Matsue, we went straight up steep, butt-burning trail. At the top, I gazed out into the distant Sea of Japan, amazed at the beauty of the region, and snacked on a riceball and peanuts while enjoying the fresh air. On the way down, I ran into some trouble. It had rained quite a bit the day before, so the trail was muddy. We were taking a different route off the mountain, but it was still as steep as the first trail, but since we were going down, it was a bit more treacherous because it was, well, really steep. Bryan didn’t seem to be having much trouble (maybe because he was in hiking boot and i was in my trail runners), but i was hanging onto little jungle plants for stability the entire way down. No big wipe-outs to report here, though, but it was notably funny at the time.
That’s a jar of KitKat. The vending machines here are like little convenience stores with hot and cold versions of different kinds of teas and coffees with hot cocoas and KitKat tossed in for fun.
My pimp rental ride is the one to the right. One size fits all.
It seems that the “Chicken Shack” is a clothing store, although, at first glance, i thought i was approaching the Japanese version of Chicken Express. The top part of the sign says “We dig off old stuff and spread it out in the world” which led me to believe that it was a used clothing store, but, once again, i realized i was wrong upon entering the store. There is meaningless English everywhere, throwing me off left and right.
Bryan and i made a pit stop at Mr. Donut before checking out Muji Rushi, my new favorite store. I decided to compare and contrast the donuts of Japan to the donuts of the US, or, at least, my favorite donut shop, Eagle Donuts, of Benbrook fame. The custard filled donut was not too sweet like their US counterparts and the chocolate glaze has a richer flavor than the thin chocolate colored glaze at home. Eagle Donuts is the overall winner so far due to the strange chewy texture and dryness a few of the other donuts i sampled.
I’ve also been comparing and contrasting convenience store foods between the two countries. I’ve been trying different packaged snacks and have been finding that the Japanese version of “gas station food” is of an overall higher quality to its US counterparts. I’m really going to miss these junk food snacks when i return.
Lately, instead of acting like a tourist, i’ve really just been running errands and chilling about with Bryan as though i live here (although i can’t speak to anyone or evesdrop on people’s conversations). Today, we went for a pleasant ride through the narrow streets and up steep hills, missing millions of beautiful pictures along the way. Tomorrow, we plan to explore the mountains around the city, and, hopefully, i won’t be too lazy to pull out my camera to record them.
It might just be a glorified twinkie, but i love Tokyo Banana. Its the care and love that seems to go into each little snack cake. Its the passion and pride that is portrayed through the presentation. From the initial interaction with the sales woman as she indicated the freshness date on the beautifully wrapped box to the little tray each banana cream filled cake sits upon. It literally brings tears to my eyes. Really. Something of the pride and craftsmanship that goes into the entire product really strikes me. The box they come in is wrapped in thick paper printed with a simple but beautiful design. Each little cake is individually wrapped and sealed into a thick plastic wrapper, not the thin annoyingly crunchy wrappers i’m used to. Everything about this little treat indicates pride and quality. Its art.
If someone can tell me what is going on in the picture next to the baby changing icon, i would really like to know.
Yesterday, we rode the Shinkansen train from Tokyo to Okayama Station and where we switched to an extremely unpleasant bumpy and hot train to Matsue. Bryan and i both were stricken with motion sickness, but we survived the entire way without puking.
Right now, we are hanging out in Bryan’s apartment in Matsue, where its raining (and thundering, which is rare). I’m missing the bustling feeling of Tokyo, but am looking forward to seeing more of this corner of the countryside. Earlier, we ate a lot of sushi (some of which was a bit difficult to swallow, since i’m a bit texture sensitive) and rented a bike for me to ride while i am here.
I’m so used to riding a road bike or a mountain bike where i am leaning forward instead of sitting back, so, i nearly ran into a vending machine on my way out of the parking lot at the rental facility. With the handlebars close to my chest and the seat close to the pedals, it took a bit for me to get used to controlling the typical Japanese cruiser, but i got used to it right before it started raining. On our way back, Bryan pointed out the mountains in the distance. We’ll hopefully be hiking soon.
There are bonus photos on my flickr page.
Last night, we went to a party with Japanese kids, French kids and one Spanish guy. Barely anyone spoke English, so i ended up having very broken conversations in Japanese, Spanish and English. It was like a pop quiz covering all the Japanese i tried to learn before coming here. I really don’t know much Spanish at all, but i keep trying to speak Spanish to people. Luckily, a Spanish guy was willing to put up with my really bad Spanish and have a conversation with me.
I’m a bit hung over and its making my writing craptastic, but i’ll leave the above paragraph unedited just for fun.